Balsamic Vinegar And Honey Mustard Dressing

Salads are a simple way to increase the amount of fresh vegetables you eat each day, as well as use up all of the produce from your garden, but dressing your salad with the same thing day after day can be boring. It's easy to throw together a simple balsamic honey mustard dressing that's tangy and sweet, and hits all the right notes on your tongue.

Ingredients

You can adjust the ingredients list for any dressing to fit your tastes and dietary needs, and balsamic honey mustard dressing is no exception. The basic components are balsamic vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard, or the mustard of your choice. Additional flavor comes from freshly ground peppercorns. For a more traditional salad oil flavor, you'll use a generous amount of olive or vegetable oil in the dressing. For fewer calories and fat, reduce the amount of oil or eliminate it entirely.

One Cup Measurements

You can alter the measurements of any dressing recipe, depending on how much salad dressing you need. For instance, a salad for one will only need 1 to 2 tablespoons of dressing -- far less than 1 cup. To make 1 cup of dressing, combine 4 tbsp. of vegetable or olive oil with 6 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar, 4 tbsp. of Dijon mustard and 2 tbsp. of honey. Grind about ½ tsp. of fresh peppercorn into the dressing and shake or stir it well. Remember that all of the ingredients can be altered to suit your individual tastes.

Single Salad Preparation

If you are making dressing for just one salad -- whether it's for one person or six -- you can mix the dressing right in the salad bowl. Simply add the ingredients to the bottom of your salad bowl before you add the salad. Stir everything well to make sure it is combined, then add your salad greens and other vegetables. Once everything is in the bowl, either toss the salad with tongs to coat the vegetables or cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and literally toss the salad by shaking the bowl and turning it over a few times to liberally coat everything with dressing.

Make Ahead of Time

Once you've hit upon the precise blend of flavors that you really love in your salad dressing, you might want to make it a bottle at a time instead of just enough for one salad. Just take a clean jar or bottle with an airtight lid, add the ingredients, seal the lid and shake to mix. By mixing the dressing directly in the jar or bottle, you save having to wash a bowl or the trouble of trying to pour the finished salad dressing from a bowl into the bottle.